Patients and residents in southwest Ohio now have fast access to critical emergency care, thanks to 24/7 MedFlight medical helicopter coverage. The new base at Preble County Medical Center began as a day basing location and started offering 24/7 coverage on February 27, 2017.
“As part of our ongoing assessment of patient transportation solutions, we recognized the need to expand our partnership with MedFlight, to provide an aircraft in Preble County and better serve the people in our southwest Ohio region,” said Bill Mangas, director of prehospital care for Kettering Health Network. “Patients needing to be moved from one medical facility to another medical facility can end up waiting a long time.”
“With a helicopter, the patient’s transport time can be reduced by half, even more,” explained Marla Werner, western regional director for MedFlight of Ohio. “This is of great benefit if the patient has life-threatening injuries or illnesses. Treatment can be received within an hour, if not less, from when the injuries occurred, or the symptoms first presented themselves.”
According to Werner, the average transport time from the patient’s original location to the receiving hospital is often less than 20 minutes.
“We are proud that the expanded partnership between Kettering Health Network and MedFlight has enabled us to meet the needs of our patients and brings life-saving service to the people of southwest Ohio,” said Mangas.